This week’s fresh listings:
This page is to be updated every
Tuesday and will contain all the latest Coin,
Medal & Token listings for that particular week.
The more observant of you may have realised that I no
longer keep previous "Fresh Listings" coins on this page.
All for sale coins can be
found via the category grid on the front page.
Most sold
coins are now accessible via a new
link on that same category grid.
Additions to www.HistoryInCoins.com
for week commencing Tuesday 28th October 2025
WMH-9216:
Richard II Medieval
Hammered Silver Sound Farthing. Small neat head with no neck (from the same punches as type 9 and
10 Edward III), small letters. +RICARD:REX:AnGL` - Withers type 1,
subclass 5. London mint.
The reverse is most interesting in that it is a Withers type 1, subclass
b - the first n of CIVI TAS LOn DOn is inverted.
However, Withers does not record this reverse die where the n is
inverted (upside down) but has been corrected to therefore show n over
inverted n. Initial
mark Cross Pattee, S.R. 1703. Lord Stewartby states that Richard II farthings are rare, with
most being struck during the earlier part of the reign only. Whilst production of gold
throughout the reign remained constant, silver was somewhat erratic and far
from prolific. During the reign
of Richard II (even at the end of Edward III), and most definitely going
through the subsequent reign of Henry IV, silver was haemorrhaging out of
England to the Continent at an alarming rate which was compounded by the fact
that the country was far from awash with silver in the first place - the price
of silver on the Continent was greater than in England and cross-channel
merchants were quick to take advantage. A rare coin anyway but in this grade and with this provenance, a
much rarer coin still. 
£885
Provenance:
ex G.Drabble collection (1947)
ex
dealer's ticket for £400, purchased circa 1990's / early 2000's by ...
ex
Geoffrey Cope collection (a well respected, quality collection, amassed over 50
years)
WJC-9217:
Exceptional
1606 James 1st Hammered Silver Stuart Sixpence. Second coinage, fourth
bust, initial mark Rose, London (Tower) mint,
S.R.2648. Where to begin! When bringing to mind coins that were badly
made (and this is very different from coins that were relatively well made but
always seem to turn up poor), through a combination of poor dies and
indifferent strikes, collectors invariably turn to some of the Norman coinage,
definitely to the Henry II Tealby coinage and
probably to some of the Chares 1st Civil War coinage that was done "on the
hoof" in times of war. Henry IV and
Richard III moneyers didn't cover themselves in glory, nor did moneyers of
Elizabeth 1st sixpences and halfgroats, although generally, these coins were
well struck and from decent dies but just circulated to within an inch of their
lives. Hardly anyone ever mentions James
1st sixpences. With a very few
exceptions (extremities in date for the first and third coinages), it was an
atrocious issue and to compound that, as per the above mentioned coinages, it
too was circulated to within an inch of its life. James 1st coinage is also one of those reigns
that almost seems to pass collectors by - an example
of each denomination being adequate enough in a lot of instances. Even the mighty Spink seemingly dismiss this
reign - see here for
the April 2025 Spink auction where their estimate of £200 - £300,
compounded by a starting price of £140, ended up hammering at £3,000 (so very
little change out of £4,000 after commission).
That was some "come and get me" estimate! Saying that, there are good collectors of
this issue beginning to come through now; collectors who do appreciate the
nature and complexities of the coinage, hopefully partly inspired by the
efforts of this website via the James 1st page?! This 1606 coin (and remember, whilst it's not
that rare a date, it is certainly much, much rarer than the usual 1603 coins
you see) is, as the title stated, exceptional.
Good dies, well struck, round flan, toned and easily VF for issue - I've
never seen better, including the above Spink auction coin. £1,250
Provenance:
ex
Coin Galleries stock (1970) ... sold to
ex G.
Savonarola collection, where it has remained in situ for 50+ years until now
WCA-9217:
1687 James II
Tin Halfpenny. Obverse bust of James
II, right; reverse Britannia. No date in
the exergue, rather within the edge legend.
Copper plug intact, slabbed by PCGS as AU detail. I am unable to find this referenced coin on
the PCGS database - in fact PCGS seem to hold a grand total of ZERO examples
for 1687 on their database. NGC shows
only three recorded examples for 1687, bizarrely, one being a 1687 with AU
detail. Please note, this coin has been
liberated from its life in plastic but the paperwork is still extant. All tin coins are extremely rare in this high
grade. These tin coins had an alarming rate of wear from circulation and the
environment (tin is much more reactive to moisture than silver or copper). The
Ferryman’s hoard of W&M tin coins from the River Thames in the 1970’s was
made up of 1690 through to 1692 tin coins. There were no copper 1694 coins
leading to the conclusion that the purse was dropped into the Thames
1693 or earlier. Of the many tin coins, the 1690’s were all very worn, the
1691’s quite worn and the 1692’s being at least somewhat worn. The 1690’s coins
could only have been in circulation for three years or so but they were all very worn. Even the coins that had been in circulation for
only up to a year or so were worn. This illustrates just how hard it is to find
high grade tin coinage. As well as wear, the tin coinage corrodes in air and
the soil (tin was far too reactive a metal to be used for coinage) so high
grade examples are at a premium. Counterfeiting was clearly a consideration as every
tin coin that left the mint had a copper plug (see extra image here)
– designed as an anti counterfeiting measure.
Perhaps the Mint ought to have had similar considerations just a few
decades on, during the mid to late 1700’s, when towards the end of the century,
counterfeit (and we’re talking really obvious / very-little-effort re dies, or
even the final product) “copper” coins literally outnumbered the genuine
coinage in circulation! Exceptional edge legend, excellent detail, albeit with
scratches. Also, halfpennies are
much rarer than farthings. An outstanding coin. £1,250
